June 3 - 9 This Week in History Come Hell or High Water June 5, 1976 - The Teton Dam, Water gushes from the collasped Teton Dam an earthen dam built on the Teton River in southeastern Idaho, collapsed while filling for the first time. The dam, which had been completed in November 1975, was nearly filled to capacity with the spring runoff when, on the morning of June 5th, engineers noticed a muddy leak on the downstream side of the dam. Within a few hours that leak had eroded into a large gap, and at 11:57 a.m. one-third of the dam gave way and over 2,000,000 cubic feet of water per second drained into the canyon below. Eleven people died in the ensuing flood and many communities had to completely rebuild. One resident of the town of Rexburg rebuilt his home in the shape of a boat as a memorial to the flood. Growing up near this area, I remember seeing the "boat house." You can see it here. The King's Palace June 7, 1982 - Priscilla Presley opened Graceland up for public tours. However the bathroom where her father, Elvis Presley, died five years earlier is kept off limits. Friendly Fire June 8, 1967 - The USS Liberty, a naval intelligence-gathering ship cruising in international waters near the Sinai Peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea, was attacked by Israeli fighter jets and torpedo boats who mistakenly believed it to be an enemy supply ship. 34 crewmen were killed and 173 were wounded in the attack, which occurred on the fourth day of the Six-Day War between Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Within two hours of the attack the Israeli forces acknowledged their mistake and immediately contacted the U.S. embassy and sent boats to assist in rescue efforts. William McGonagle, the Captain of the Liberty was severely injured in the attacks, but maintained his command throughout the attack. He was later awarded the Medal of Honor, the military's highest decoration, for his efforts to save the ship. Multiple investigations have determined that the incident was an accident, however some conspiracy theorists maintain that the attack was intentional. Third Time's the Charm   June 9, 1973 - Secretariat, a three-year-old Thoroughbred, completed the Triple Crown by winning the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths and setting a record-breaking pace of 2:24 on the 1.5 mile dirt track. Only 11 horses have ever won the Triple Crown, which requires winning a series of races that also includes the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Secretariat was the first winner of the Triple Crown in 25 years. Because Secretariat was such a heavy favorite for the Belmont Stakes, the winning $2.00 bets only paid out $2.20. As a result many bettors never redeemed their tickets, presumably to save them as souvenirs instead. Footage of the historic race can be seen here. "If life was fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead." - Johnny Carson Heath is Reading 4:50 From Paddington by Agatha Christie